Abstract: ABSTRACT The present invention discloses a method for interactively providing information about a product/service to a user when the user engages with a special image using an electronic device.
INFORMATION ACCESS TECHNIQUE
CROSS REFERENCE TO PRIOR APPLICATION(S)
[0001] The present invention claims priority from Indian Provisional Application
No. 2472/DELl2014, filed on August 29, 2014; which is herein incorporated in its
entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention pertains in general to matrix codes and in particular
to a method for generating the matrix code and a method for accessing information by
engaging an electronic device with the matrix code.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] For advertising a product or service, it is well known to print and display
the information about the product or service on various locations which are most
frequently visited by the targeted users of the information. But the space availability
and query solving has always been a tough regard in such kind of marketing as these
methods of advertising are least interactive and therefore the queries of the users
remain unanswered most of the time as limited information about the product/service
can be displayed in such advertisements.
[0004] Some advertisers also print/display URLs of the web-pages containing the
information about the product/service with the advertisement. However, few care
about typing the whole URLs into their browsers and searching for the information.
[0005] Further, accessing the information using two-dimensional (2D) matrix code
with embedded information, such as URLs, contact information, e-mail addresses,
etc. is also well known in the art. Advertisement using the two-dimensional (2D)
matrix codes is gaining a lot of attention as they are easily accessible using readers
such as smart-phones, or other similar camera equipped electronic devices. Existing
two-dimensional (2D) matrix code scanning techniques mostly rely on the
assumption that the information embedded inside the two-dimensional (2D) matrix
code will result in the best user experience and hence these techniques redirect the
user to the target embedded content without taking any parameter into the
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consideration and therefore the user experience mostly remains unsatisfactory. In an
example, scanning a website URL of a restaurant embedded inside a two-dimensional
(2D) matrix code with an electronic device may redirect a user directly to the target
website of the restaurant but this website may not be designed to adapt according to
the electronic device of the user and hence it may result in a bad user experience.
[0006] Hence, it is apparent that a need exists for a technique that decimates the
above mentioned problems to provide a best user experience and also provides
maximum ease of access to the information about the advertised product/service.
Further, an improved method is also required for generating transparent matrix codes.
[0007] The applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to
overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other
purposes and advantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] It is an object of the present invention to provide a system and method for
accessing information by engaging an electronic device with a matrix code- which
results in a best user experience and provides maximum ease of access to the
information about the advertised product/service.
[0009J It is another object of the present invention to automatically determine at
least one of a type of an electronic device and an operating system running on the
electronic device upon receiving a request from an electronic device to access the
information stored on the server, wherein the request is triggered by scanning a
matrix code using the electronic device.
[0010] It is yet another object of the present invention to select and display a
visual interface from a plurality of visual interfaces wherein the visual interface is
selected on the basis of at least one of a determined type of electronic device_and an
operating system running on the electronic device.
[0011] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method where
scanning of a same matrix code by different electronic devices presents different
visual interfaces depending on the type of the electronic device used for scanning the
matrix code.
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[0012] To attain the above object, in a first aspect of the present invention, there is
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provided a computing device which determines at least one of a type of electronic
device or an operating system running on the electronic device; wherein the
electronic device is used for scanning a matrix code. Preferably, the computing
device is a service provider's server; however the same process can be implemented
on such as, but not limited to, a local server, an online server, a web based server by
doing the required modifications in these servers. The computing device comprises at
least one processor and a memory. A computer program product is stored in the
memory of the computing device which is executed by the processor to detect the
operating system running on the electronic device. The computing device is further
configured to display an interface containing several user selectable options on the
electronic device. The interface is displayed on the basis of the determined operating
system of the electronic device. The computing device is further configured to
provide information on the basis of an option selected by the user.
[0013] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method and a
system for generating transparent matrix code.
[0014] To attain the above object, in a second aspect of the present invention,
there is provided a computing device which embeds a frame containing a matrix code
on a user selected image. The computing device is further configured to modify at
least one characteristic of the matrix code on the basis of user inputs, wherein the
characteristics of matrix code are such as, but not limited to, transparency level,
position of the matrix code on the background image, size of the matrix code, color of
the modules/eyes, shape of the modules/eyes, etc. According to the preferred
embodiment of the present invention, the computing device is an online server / a
web based server, however it should be noted that the same process can be
implemented with the help of other electronic devices such as but not limited to, a
local server, a smart-phone, a laptop, desktop PC, etc. executing a computer program
product wherein the computer program product is designed to implement the same
process. The computer program product can be such as, but not limited to, a mobile
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app, computer implemented software, desktop widget, browser based software, other
known similar applications, and combination thereof.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary architecture of a system to implement the
method of the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary workflow for implementing the first aspect
of the present invention.
[0017] FIGS. 3-11 illustrate some exemplary interfaces during an implementation
of the method disclosed in the present invention.
[0018] FIG. 12 illustrates an exemplary workflow for implementing the second
aspect of the present invention.
[0019] FIGS. 13A-13D illustrates various transparent matrix codes generated
according to second aspect of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0020] In the detailed description section, details about various embodiments of
the present invention are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the
present invention. The details and examples listed herein are used just to provide a
better understanding of the embodiments of the present invention and should not be
considered as limiting the scope of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is
intended that all the modifications and variations fall within the scope of the
following embodiments and their equivalents.
[0021] The terms "service provider server", "computing device", "local server",
"provider", "server", and the plural forms of these terms are used interchangeably
throughout herein to refer to an entity which provide the matrix code related services
as mentioned herein.
[0022] The terms "electronic device", "smart-phone", "user device" , and the plural
forms of these terms are used interchangeably throughout herein to refer to a device
which is used by the a user to access the services as disclosed in the present
invention.
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[0023] FIG. I illustrates an exemplary architecture of a system to implement the
method of the present invention. FIG. I shows a special image 101. The special
image 101 is used to access information about a product or service which is being
advertised using the special image 101. The special image 101 contains an access link
to the information about the advertised product/service. The access link can be direct
URL, an indirect URL, hyper/ink, or a combination thereof.
[0024] The access link to the information about the product/service to be
advertised is embedded in an electronically identifiable image. The electronically
identifiable image can be a barcode, a quick response (QR) code, a matrix code,
transparent matrix code or any other data containing code known to an ordinary
skilled in the art. In an exemplary embodiment, the electronically identifiable image
can be fused with an ordinary image to generate the special image 101 . The ordinary
image can be any image such as a logo of a company, picture of a product to be
advertised, trademark, signature, or any other similar image.
[0025] As shown in FIG. 1, the special image 101 may also have a proximity
sensor PS associated with the special image 101. The proximity sensor PS can be an
NFC chip, RFID tag, a touch sensor, audio sensor, IR sensor, Bluetooth or any other
type of sensor that can be incorporated for similar purposes as described herein as
understood by any ordinary skilled in the art.
[0026] An electronic device 102 is used by a user to engage with the special image
101 and proximity sensor (PS). The electronic device can be a mobile phone, a smart
phone, a tablet, laptop, PC equipped with a scanner, camera equipped device or any
other electronic device equipped with a code scanner or a proximity sensor. The
electronic device 102 can engage with the special image 101 by scanning the
electronically identifiable image contained inside the special image 101 using a code
scanning application installed in the electronic device 102.
[0027] In addition to scanning the electronically identifiable image contajned in
the special image 101, the electronic device 102 can also engage with the special
Image 101 by triggering the proximity sensor PS associated with the special image
101.
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[0028] When the user engages with the special image 101, the access link
contained in the special image 101 is activated and a request for the information
about the advertised product/service is automatically transmitted to a service pl"ovider
server 104 via a network 103. The network 103 can be any wired or wireless
communication link such as but not limited to PSTN, LAN, WAN, WLAN, wi-fi, wimax,
Bluetooth, ISDN, or combination thereof.
[0029] The server 104 is a service provider server which is configured to provide
the services related to the electronically identifiable image as disclosed in the present
invention. The service provider server 104 includes a memory 105 , a processor 106,
and application software 107. The memory 105 is a data storage device and can be
any of a volatile or a non volatile memory such as, but not limited to, RAM, ROM,
SRAM, DRAM, EROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, NVRAM, CMOS, or
any other memory. The memory 105 stores at least some of the information aQ.out the
advertised product/service. The information related to the advertised product/service
may include a webpage, URL, website, a menu card of a restaurant, reviews about a
restaurant, movie details on an advertisement/promotion board, social media page of
service/product provider, detailed specifications of a product, feedback form, enquiry
form, map navigation, special offers, rating of product /service, reviews about the
product /service or any other such information as known to an ordinary skilled in the
art.
[0030] The processor 106 is responsible for all the processes of the system such as
responding to the request from the electronic device 102, providing access to the
information stored on the memory 105 , etc. The service provider server 104 can also
include multiple processors 102 and memories 105.
[0031] The application software 107 is a software code which is stored in the
service provider server 104. The application software 107 may be stored in the
memory 105 or in a separate memory. The method disclosed in the present invention
is implemented through the application software 107.
[0032] When a request for the information about the advertised product/service is
received at the service provider server 104, the processor 106 fetches the suitable
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instructions from the application software 107 and determines at least one of a type of
the electronic device 102, Operating System OS of the device 102, and combination
thereof. The processor 106 fetches the suitable instructions from the application
software 107 to display a visual interface containing several user selectable options
on the electronic device 102. The visual interface displayed on the electronic device
102 is adaptable / responsive according to at least one of the determined type of
electronic device, the operating system running on the electronic device 102, and the
combination thereof. In other words, the GUI of the application software 107 is
displayed on the electronic device 102 on the basis of at least one of the type of
electronic device and the operating system running on the electronic device 102. The
type of the electronic device can be such as, but not limited to, device ID, brand
name, screen size, display resolution, etc.
[0033] The user makes the selections for desired information using a GUI of the
electronic device 102. The processor 106 receives the user selections over the
network 103 and based on the received selections, provides the information to the
user of the electronic device 102. The information provided to the user is based on the
user selections. For example, if the user desires information which is stored on the
service provider server 104 such as details about the advertised product/service or
feedback form for the product/service, the information is provided directly from the
memory 105 of the service provider server 104.
[0034] If the user desires information about the product/service stored on any
other server, then user of the electronic device 102 is connected with the
corresponding server. For example if the user desires to visit a social media page of
the advertised product/service, user is connected to the desired social media server
108. If the user desires to view a location map of the advertised product/service, then
the user is connected to a map server 109. If the user desires information that is
provided by any other third party linked to the product/service provider, the service
provider server 104 connects the user to the other third party servers 110. The other
third party servers can be financial institution servers providing payment options,
ecommerce websites, etc.
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[0035] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the
special image 101 and the associated proximity sensor can be embedded within a
physical module. The physical module can be a hanging module, a table stand,
packaging, wall mountable, advertisement board, flex, a sheet of paper, glass pane,
metal sheet, visiting card, or any other such modules as known to an ordinary skilled
in the art. 1 _ ~ ,
[0036] FIG. 2 is a flow chart 200 of a method to advertise a product or service
according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Although the
process 200 is described in context of advertised products/services, it should be noted
that the same process can also be implemented to provide other services like "display
nearest location, "add to calendar", "add to contacts", "promotions", "social media
pages", etc. The process starts at 201 when a user interested in an advertised
product/service engages with a special image using an electronic device. The special
image is used to provide information of a product/service. The special image contains
an access link to the information about the advertised product/service. The user can
engage with the special image either by scanning an electronically identifiable,image,
contained inside the special image, using a scanner app installed in a mobile phone or
by triggering the proximity sensor associated with the special image using a
functionality of the mobile phone. The functionality for triggering the proximity
sensor can be a combination of hardware and software components. When the user
uses the electronic device to engage with the special image, an access link to
information about the advertised product/service contained in the special image is
identified and the electronic device generates a request to access the information
about the product/service and transmits the request to a service provider server.
[0037] Once the request is received by the service provider server, at step 202 the
application software automatically determines whether the electronic device used to
engage with the special image is a mobile phone, tablet, laptop, or any other
electronic device. At step 203, the application software automatically determines the
operating platform executing on the electronic device. The operating platform of the
electronic device is determined so as to provide the information about the advertised
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product/service in accordance with its compatibility with the operating system of the
electronic device.
[0038] At step 204, the serVIce provider server provides a visual interface
containing several user selectable options to the electronic device wherein the visual
interface is displayed on the electronic device. The visual interface is displayed on the
basis of at least one of the type of the electronic device and the determined operating
system of the electronic device. The user selectable options correspond to specific
information about the advertised product or service. The user selects an option
according to information about the product/service desired by the user.
[0039] At step 205, the user selection is received by the service provider server
and it is automatically determined whether the information desired by the user is
stored on the service provider server itself or on a third party server. The third party
server can be a social media server, location map server, financial institution 'server,
ecommerce server, or any other such server known to an ordinary skilled in the art.
[0040] If it is determined that the information desired by the user is stored on the
service provider server, the process moves to step 207 via step 206. At step 207, the
desired information is displayed in the visual interface on the display screen of the
electronic device.
[0041] If it is determined that that the information desired by the user is stored on
a third party server, the process moves to step 209 via step 208. At step 209, it is
determined whether a third party application is installed on the electronic device is
not. This determination can be made either automatically or manually by asking the
user via a pop up box. The third party application may be a social media application,
financial institution application, a route map navigation application, or any other third
party application.
[0042] If the third party application is installed on the electronic device, then at
step 210, the third party application is launched on the electronic device and at step
211, the desired information is displayed in the interface of the third party
application. Also, if the application is already installed on the user device, user may
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be already logged in to the third party application. So, the desired information can be
quickly displayed in the interface of the third party application.
[0043] If the third party application is not installed on the electronic device, then at
step 212, a web browser is launched on the electronic device and a third party website
is opened in the browser window and at step 213, the desired information is displayed
in the browser information as a webpage.
[0044] Various modifications can be made to the process described above. One
non limiting modification can be that upon determining that the third party
application is not installed on the electronic device, the user can be prompted to
install the third party application by automatically launching the app store ac~ording
to the operating system of the electronic device. All other modifications which will be
obvious to an ordinary skilled in the art should be considered within the scope of the
preset invention.
[0045] FIGS. 3-11 illustrate some exemplary interfaces of the electronic device
during an implementation of the method disclosed in the present invention according
to an exemplary embodiment.
[0046] FIG. 3 shows an electronic device 301 and a special image 302. The
electronic device 301 scans an electronically identifiable image contained in the
special image 302 using a scanner application installed in the electronic device 301. It
is just an exemplary way of engaging with the special image 302 and should- not be
considered as limiting the scope of the invention. Another way to engage with the
special image 302 is by triggering a proximity sensor associated with the special
image 302 using the electronic device 301.
[0047] FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary interface of an electronic device 401 with
several options 402-408 displayed on the electronic device 401. The options include
options to visit a social media page of the advertised product/service (i.e. ex-eyes
technologies in this example), options for location navigation of a concerned
individual/company providing the advertised product/service, options to view special
offers for the advertised product/service, feedback form, etc. A user of the electronic
device selects an option according to the information he wants to view and the
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corresponding information is provided to the user as shown in FIG. 5. According to
an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the user selects the option 403 i.e.
"Follow us on twitter", wherein twitter is a registered trademark of Twitter Inc.
However it should not be considered as limiting the scope of the present invention to
option 403 only; any option can be selected by the user.
[0048] FIG. 5 shows an exemplary visual interface according to a selection made
by the user. FIG. 5 shows an electronic device 501 showing a pop-up box 502 asking
the user whether the twitter® application is installed in the electronic device 501.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the user selects
option "Yes" and the corresponding information is displayed to user as shown in FIG.
6.
[0049] As clear from the FIG. 6, upon determining that the twitter® application is
installed on the electronic device, launching the twitter® application on the electronic
device 601 and displaying the twitter® page of the service provider/third party in the
interface of the launched application.
[0050] FIG. 7 depicts another exemplary interface of an electronic device 701 with
several options 702-708 displayed on the electronic device 701 and the usei' of the
electronic device selects the option 704 i.e. "Share 10cationlNavigate" . The selection
will take the user to an interface as shown in FIG. 8.
[0051] FIG. 8 shows an interface of an electronic device 801 according to a user
selection made by the user as explained with reference to FIG. 7. As shown in FIG. 8,
the electronic device 801 displays a pop-up box 802 asking the user whether the
google maps® application is installed in the electronic device 801. According to an
exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the user selects option "No" and the
user is connected to the server of google maps® and a corresponding website IS
opened in a browser of the electronic device as shown in FIG. 9
[0052] FIG. 9 shows an interface of an electronic device 901 displayi.ng the
location of the concerned individual/company in a website opened in a browser
installed in the electronic device 901 .
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[0053] FIG. 10 depicts another exemplary interface of an electronic device 100 I
with several options 1002-1008 displayed on the electronic device 1001 and the user
of the electronic device selects the option 1005 i.e. "Add us to contact~". The
selection will take the user to an interface as shown in FIG. 11.
[0054] FIG. 11 shows an interface of an electronic device 1101 according to a user
selection made by the user as explained with reference to FIG. 10. When the user
selects the option "Add us to contacts", corresponding information is fetched from a
server of the provider (i.e. ex-eyes technologies in this example) and the contact
information is added to the directory of the electronic device 1101. In another
embodiment of the present invention, other similar options such as "add to calendar",
"display nearest location", etc. can also be provided to the user. In an exemplary
scenario, an electronically identifiable image contained in the special image may be
designed to provide information about events such as meeting, wedding, social
gathering, party, etc. When the user scans the electronically identifiable image by
using the electronic device, a visual interface is provided, by the service provider
server, which is displayed on the electronic device. The visual interface is provided
by the service provider server depending upon either a type of the electronic device,
OS running on the electronic device, or both. The visual interface is designed to adapt
according to the electronic device so that it results in the best user experience. The
visual interface include options such as, but not limited to, "add to calendar" by
selection of which the associated event information is added in the calendar of the
electronic device.
[0055] FIG. 12 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram for generating the
transparent special images according to second aspect of the present invenlion. It
should be noted that the various steps of the flow diagram has been simplified for
better exemplification and these steps are explained in greater details with reference
to the following description. The flowchart 1200 of FIG. 12 will be better understood
with reference to various types of transparent special images as depicted in FIG. 13.
The transparent special image as shown in FIG. 13A comprises a background image
1300 and a frame 1302 containing an electronically identifiable image. FIG. 13 is just
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for illustrative purpose and various modifications in the same can be unders~ood by
an ordinary skilled in the art. The electronically identifiable image can be such as, but
limited to a, barcode, QR code, matrix code, 20 responsive codes or any other data
containing code known to an ordinary skilled in the art. The electronically identifiable
image is herein after referred as matrix code for simplicity. The matrix code (i.e.
electronically identifiable image) comprises black dots 1304 arranged in a grid form
(referred as "modules") on the background image 1300 and four "eyes" 1306
arranged at four comers of the frame.
[0056] In preferred embodiment, the process as described in flow diagram 1200
can be implemented on a website hosted by an online server which comprises at least
a memory and a processor. In another embodiment, the process 1200 can be also be
implemented, without the webpage hosted on the online server, by using a computer
implemented program product such as, but not limited to, a mobile app, computer
implemented software, desktop widget, browser based software, other known similar
applications, and combination thereof.
[0057] The process begins with step 1202 in which a user accesses a webpage, by
using an electronic device, for creating a transparent matrix code wherein the
webpage is being hosted on the online server. The online server, upon receiving a
request from the user for creating the custom matrix code, presents a plurality of
options to the user by which the user can specify the type of the matrix code to be
generated. The options can be for example, without limitation, an option for creating
URL based matrix code, an option for creating social-network matrix code, an. option
for creating coupon matrix code, an option for creating contact-us matrix code, an
option for creating promotion matrix code, an option for creating all-in-one matrix
code, etc.
[0058] Once the user has specified the type of the matrix code to be created, the
online server provides a graphical interface for receiving the information that is
required to create the selected type of matrix code, in step 1204. The information
related to matrix code can be for example, without limitation, URL of target website
(Facebook, twitter, company website, Google+, etc.), contact information, text,
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company name, e-mail address, residential/company address, coupon details, etc.
Processor of the online server uses the information provided by the user and generates
an active matrix code. The generated code is referred as the "active matrix code"
because scanning the same by the electronic device provides the information
associated with it.
[0059] After receiving the information related to the matrix code, the process
moves to step 1206 where a graphical user interface (OUI) is presented to the user by
which the user selects an image by either uploading an image or choosing an image
from a pre-stored library. The image provided by the user is used as the background
image 1300.
[0060] In step 1208, a frame 1302 containing the active matrix code, generated in
step 1204, is overlaid on the background image 1300 to form a composite image 1300
which is presented to the user on the webpage being displayed on the electronic
device. Further, a graphical interface is also displayed on the webpage with user
selectable options (1312,1314,1318 as shown in FIG. 13B) which are used by the
user to modify the characteristics of the active matrix code.
[0061] In step 1210, the user selects options for modifying the active matrix code
(shown in FIG. 13) by using input devices interfaced with the electronic device. The
user inputs can be related to such as, but not limited to, re-sizing the frame,
floating/moving the frame over the background image, reshaping the matrix code,
changing the color of the modules of the matrix codes, changing the shape of the
matrix code modules (i.e. dot, square, diamond, plus sign, minus sign, etc.), changing
the transparency level of the matrix code, etc. The selected module shapes are pre-set
to be smaller in size of the actual module's column/box by leaving rest of the
column/box/pixel of the module to either semi-transparent (as shown in FlO. 13C) or
fully transparent (as shown in FIG. 13D) according to the user's selection. The input
devices can be such as, but not limited to, a keypad, a mouse, a touchpad, a touchscreen
and combination thereof. The step 1210 can be repeated by the user over and
over again to modify the active matrix code according to the requirements. 'In step
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1212, the processor of the online server modifies the active matrix code according to
the commands received by the user of the electronic device.
[0062] In step 1214, the active matrix code 1302 is embedded over the background
image 1300 to form a composite image containing a transparent matrix code. The
transparent matrix code generated using the inventive concept of the present
invention can be easily accessible by the electronic device and is better styled as
compare to the existing techniques.
[0063] FIGS. 13B, 13C and 13D illustrate the varIOUS aspects of the present
invention according to step 1210, 1212 and 1214 of the process 1200. As illustrated
in FIG. 13B, a graphical user interface is displayed on the webpage accessed by the
user having plurality of options such as 1308, 1312 and 1314. Option 1308 allows a
user to modify the shape of the modules 1304 of the matrix code by selecting from a
plurality of pre-define shapes of the modules of the matrix code 1302. For example,
modules can be changed to different shapes such as dots, diamonds, plus, minus, star,
rectangle, square, etc. Option 1312 allows the user to modify the color of the'matrix
code. Option 1314 allows the user to specify a particular color code which is known
to the user.
[0064] FIG. 13C illustrates an exemplary graphical user interface comprIsmg a
button 1318 using which the user can modify the shapes of the "eyes" 1322 of the
matrix code. When a user clicks on button 1318, a drop down menu 1320 is displayed
in which different pre-set shapes of the "eyes"1322 can be selected.
[0065] The modules of the matrix code (1323, 1329) are designed in such a way
that they cover only a part of the actual module's box and the remaining area of the
column/box of the actual module can be kept to either semi-transparent or fully
transparent depending on the user's selection, explained in detail with refer~nce to
FIG. 13C and FIG. 13D.
[0066] The processor of the online server is pre-set to convert each module of the
active matrix code into user-defined shapes 1323 (i.e. "plus" shape in FIG.13C).
Modified module shapes 1323 are pre-set to be smaller in size of the actual module's
columnlbox 1324 by leaving the surrounding remaining area of the modified module
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shapes 1323 (area between 1323 and 1324) to semi-transparent as selected by the
user. Actual modules are represented by 1324.
[0067] FIG. 13D illustrates another embodiment where the shape of the modules is
selected to be in the form of "dots" 1329 and the selected shape 1329 (dots) of the
modules is set to be smaller in size of the actual module's column/box 1330 by
leaving the surrounding area (area between 1329 and 1330) to fully transparent as
selected by the user.
[0068] Embodiments related to generating a transparent matrix code are explained
with the help of an exemplary scenario of the online server and it should not be
considered as a limitation thereof. Same aspect can be implemented using a computer
implemented program product such as, but not limited to, a mobile app, computer
implemented software, desktop widget, browser based software, other known 'similar
applications, and combination thereof.
[0069] From the foregoing detailed description of certain preferred embodiments,
it will be apparent that various modifications, additions and other alternative
embodiments are possible without departing from the true scope and spirit of the
invention. The embodiments discussed were chosen and described to provide the best
illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby
enable one of ordinary skill in the art to use the invention in various embodiments
and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
Claims
We Claim:
1. A computer implemented method for providing access to an information, the
method comprising:
receiving a request from an electronic device to access the information
stored on a server, wherein the request is triggered upon identifying an electronically
identifiable image using the electronic device;
determining at least one parameter associated with the electronic
device;
providing a visual interface to be displayed on the electronic device on
the basis of the at least one determined parameter associated with the electronic
device.
2. The computer implemented method of claim I, wherein the parameter is one
or more of a type of the electronic device and an operating system running on the
electronic device.
3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the electronically
identifiable image is one or more of a one dimensional code, a two dimensional code,
a quick response code and a matrix code.
4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the request is
triggered upon identifying the electronically identifiable image by at least one of the
following: scanning the electronically identifiable image, and triggering a proximity
sensor linked to the electronically identifiable figure.
S. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the visual interface
adapts according to the electronic device and displays a plurality of user selectable
options to access the information.
6. The computer implemented method of claim 1 further comprises:
receiving a user selection from a plurality of user selectable options displayed on the
visual interface to launch an app on the electronic device which is required for
displaying the information associated with the user selectable option wherein the app
is a web-browser or a third party app installed on the electronic device.
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7. A computer implemented method for generating a transparent matrix code, the
method comprising:
receiving a desired information associated with the transparent matrix
code;
receiving a background image from a user;
overlaying a frame containing a matrix code on the background image,
wherein the matrix code provides the desired information when triggered by the
electronic device;
reCeiVIng user input for modifying at least one characteristic of the
matrix code;
modifying the matrix code according to the received user inputs to
generate the transparent matrix code;
embedding the frame containing the transparent matrix code on the
background image.
8. The computer implemented method of claim 7, wherein the matri4 code,
contained in the frame overlaid on the background image, is active matrix code
comprising an access link to the desired information.
9. The computer implemented method of claim 7, wherein the user input
comprises at least one of inputs for modifying shape of modules, inputs for modifying
size of matrix code, inputs for modifying position of the matrix code on the
background image, inputs for modifying shape of eyes, inputs for modifying
transparency level of matrix code, inputs for modifying the color of matrix code, and
combination thereof.
10. The computer implemented method of claim 7, wherein the transparent matrix
code is generated by modifying modules of the matrix code according to user inputs
such that the modified modules are smaller in size as compared to actual module size
and remaining surrounding area of the modified modules is set to be either fully
transparent or semi-transparent depending on the user inputs.